Nearly 800,000 volunteers worldwide removed more than 20 million pieces of trash in the 2017 International Coastal Cleanup


According to the Ocean Conservancy’s 2018 International Coastal Cleanup Report released last June, nearly 800,000 volunteers in 107 countries came together and removed more than 20 million pieces of trash from beaches and waterways. That’s 20 million fewer potential impacts on birds, whales, turtles and other marine wildlife. We picked up 9,285,600 kilograms of trash over 30,472 kilometers of coastlines, rivers and underwater areas.

Ocean Conservancy’s Ocean Trash Index is the world's largest item-by-item, location-by-location database of trash found in near-shore environments. Last year, we’ve collected enough plastic beverage bottles to fill over 5 standard swimming pools, enough rope to weave a beach towel that is 28km long, enough straws to reach the height of over 10,000 palm trees, enough cigarette butts to line the distance of 5 marathons and enough plastic bags to sew 5,461 sails. Some of the weird items found in the September 2017 Cleanup include: a satellite disc, a 6-seater golf cart, couches, a washing machine, a scooter and a car.

Plastic debris remains a growing concern in the marine environment, and the top five most commonly collected items are cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic beverage bottles, plastic bottle caps and plastic grocery bags, respectively. All are forms of plastic debris.

In the 2017 Cleanup, the Philippines’ contribution was particularly notable for bringing the highest number of volunteers for the Cleanup. In total, 216,244 Filipinos retrieved more than 400,000 pieces of trash over 1,105 kilometers of beaches and waterways. These items collectively weighed more than 227,000 kilograms or roughly the same weight as 151 average cars.

ICC Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary are the National Coordinators of the Cleanup in cooperation with the institutional partners from the government: DILG, DepEd, DENR, DOTr, DPWH and DOT.

Download Ocean Conservancy’s reports to see how trash impacts the ocean, our beaches and what you can do to help:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Message of Gratitude for a Meaningful Sea Change

Image
Dear Volunteers, Sponsors, Coordinators and Friends Last September 19, 2009, Saturday, the 24th International Coastal Cleanup m ark ed another milestone in the continuing responsibility for our oceans. People from all walks of life responded to the call for a Sea Change – a chance to give back to the o ceans. Volunteers gave their precious time to do their share in caring for our fragile marine environment. The sight of our volunteers was, indeed, an important manifestation of the continuing Sea Change. More importantly, it was a beautiful sunny day and our volunteers made it more meaningful by collecting and recording the important information on what’s littering our oceans. No matter how busy we were, we responded for three main reasons: it is doing the right thing and leaving our world better than we found it; trash in the ocean is one of the most widespread pollution problems we face - yet, it's also entirely preventable; litter and trash isn't just ugly — it impacts local
Read more

On-line Data Submission 2013 ICC

Image
During the 2013 International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) held last September 21, cleanup volunteers have seen all kinds of trash washed out to shores, from unique items like toothbrushes, slippers, umbrellas and handbags to the ubiquitous food wrappers and plastic bags. They recorded every item listed in a data card to help build comprehensive solutions for trash free seas. Although ICC is just a one day event, volunteers have made a meaningful difference in the health and vitality of our seas, rivers and lakes. Cleanup volunteers may submit the results of the cleanup together with pictures and stories through the following: Email: iccphilippines@gmail.com On-line:  https://sites.google.com/site/iccphilippines/on-line-data-submission_2013
Read more

International Coastal Cleanup Advisory on Cancellation of Sept. 17 ICC Day

Image
TO ALL PARTICIPANTS OF THE 2016 INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP DAY: In light of the recent bombing in Davao City, the proclamation by the President of a state of national emergency and government intelligence reports as to the existence of threats of further acts of violence, the PCGA and the ICC-Philippines, being the designated co-coordinators of the International Coastal Cleanup in the Philippines, have decided to cancel all activities, preparations and plans in the celebration of this year’s International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day on Saturday, 17 September 2016 in all parts of the country. Given the public nature of the ICC Day, several interested groups may take advantage of these nationwide gatherings to sow terror in order to gain international media mileage in the process.  Certainly, the PCGA and the ICC-Philippines recognize that preparations, logistics and publicity requirements are already in place at this time. However, as the safety and security of
Read more